


A Place in the World

by Highkingeliot



Category: The Magicians (TV), The Magicians - Lev Grossman
Genre: Explicit Language, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 06:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13429155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highkingeliot/pseuds/Highkingeliot
Summary: Eliot leaves his estranged family and finds his way to a school for magic.





	A Place in the World

**Author's Note:**

> For The Welters Challenge prompt Season 3 episode 2 of The Magicians.

Fuck you!!” I screamed through the tears as I slammed the door. “What the fuck kind of family does this on a damned holiday?” I took my bag and started walking down the street. 

I had no idea where I’d go but I obviously couldn’t stay there. I walked for several miles as cars passed and honked and some people even yelled at me. I didn’t care. There was nothing they could say to me that would hurt any more than the ‘family’ that loved me kicking me out. Yeah, I know, I’m far from the perfect son and now I guess I knew my instincts were correct. I did so much for them to help and try to be a good person and this is what I get. They swore they wouldn’t be like the people in my past, well, I should have known better. Everyone leaves. They get what they want from you, they lie to you, they use you and they leave. There’s no such thing as forever in my life. 

I watched a truck pull over a little ways down the road. I stopped for a minute and watched an older man get out of the truck. 

“Where ya headin’?”

“I don’t know.” 

“Well, it’s about to rain, you want a ride?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” I just stood there hoping he would get in his truck and just drive off but no such luck. 

“I ain’t no expert on this son but you look a long ways from fine.” 

“Well I am fine so you can go.” 

“Look, I’ve seen types like you before. Ready to take on the world and just leave but I can tell you one thing you’re about as far as you can get from fine. At least let me get you into town then you can decide what you want to do.”

I looked around and felt a few raindrops hit my face. 

“Ok. Fine. Into town then that’s it.” I walked up and got in the truck. 

“Good. You’ll catch your death out here in that rain.” 

“Like that would really be a bad thing.” I rolled my eyes and looked out the window.

“What? You think this world would be better off without you?”

“Actually, yeah. All anyone does is lie and leave. Everyone is obviously better off without me so what’s the problem if I catch my death? Hell, at this point I’d almost welcome it. You can come to my funeral if you want, you’ll be the only one there.” I snapped and went back to looking out the window. 

“Look kid, I don’t really know you but sounds like you could use some help.”

“Yeah that’s what everyone says. I’ll be fine.” I sighed and did all I could to not cry. 

“Ok. Well can I at least buy you a meal?”

“I’d rather you didn’t.” 

“Why? You don’t eat?”

“Just don’t. I’ll be fine. Keep your money and just drop me off in town. You insisted on taking me to town so I let you. I’ll be fine.” 

“Whatever you say kid.” 

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. He kept rambling on about how I needed friends or something like that, I just tuned him out. 

“Well, here we are.” 

“Thanks.” I grabbed my bag and got out of the truck. I could just tell he was about to try and give me one of those ‘it’s better to be alive, wonderful life” kind of speeches but I slammed the door before he could. 

I walked a little ways down the road to the bus station and walked inside. This served two purposes, I would ensure the crazy guy would leave me alone and I could see how far I could get. 

I looked at the prices and saw I could afford to get to New York and still have some cash left. 

I walked over to the ticket window. 

“One ticket to New York.” 

“Ok, next bus leaves in an hour.”

“Good.”

“When will you be returning?”

“I won’t. Just one way.” 

The lady looked up at me, shocked. 

“Um… ok…that’ll be….. $87.95”

“Here.” I set the money on the counter and waited for my bit of change. She handed me my ticket and my change and I went over and found a place to sit. At least now I would know when I would be rid of this damned place.   
That hour seemed to take forever. I doodled and wrote in my journal and did everything I could think of. 

Finally the time came for my bus to board. I got on and anxiously awaited getting to New York. 

I settled in and felt myself start to relax. I couldn’t wait to be rid of this damned place forever. I wanted nothing more to do with it. 

After several hours we finally arrived in New York. I got off the bus and tried to figure out what I was going to do. It was fairly late at night so I knew I needed a place to stay. I walked down to a small park and decided I would camp out there for the night. I slept for a few hours before I felt the sun on my face. I made my way to a nearby hotel where I managed to get myself cleaned up and start figuring out places I could go work. 

I left before anyone noticed me. Luckily it was one of those fancy hotels that had decent bathrooms. I was now clean and dressed in my nicer clothes. I threw the old crap from the farm away. I now at least looked like I belonged here. I walked down a small street and past a few shops. I saw a few with some fancy breads. I heard my stomach growl and decided food might not be a bad idea. I walked past another big building and snuck in. They had large rooms with people talking and laughing. It also had huge spreads of food. I grabbed a variety of things and put some stuff in my bag for later. 

I once again managed to not get caught. I made it out onto the street before some guy walked out the door after me.

“Hey you!!” I kept walking. “Hey kid!! Get back here!!” I picked up the pace. Before I knew it I was at a full run with this guy coming after me. 

I ran down an alley and just as I reached the end there was this door. 

“I’m gonna kill you kid!!” I heard him coming down the alley. 

“Well, looks like this door is my only way out.” I opened the door and ran in. I looked around. It was nothing like I expected. It looked like some kind of school. I stood there for a moment debating on where I’d go from here. I knew I didn’t belong in a school so I looked for the nearest exit. 

I opened the door and saw a man walking in. I held the door open for him. He walked in, stopped and looked at me. He looked me up and down and pulled a small card out of his coat pocket. 

“Eliot Waugh?”

I was in shock. He looked to be someone of importance. 

“Uh, yeah?”

“You’re late.” 

“For what?”

“The test. Follow me.”

“Why should I? Who the hell are you?”

“Allow me to properly introduce myself. I’m Dean Henry Fogg. You may address me as Dean.”

“Ok…..”

“Now, follow me.”

“I think there must be some mistake.”

“You are Eliot Waugh are you not?”

“Yeah but I didn’t sign up for any test.”

“You don’t sign up for this one, it sort of chooses you.”

“What the…?”

“Come.” He held out his hand and ushered me down the hall. 

We walked into a room where other students were seated. I looked around and found myself a spot to sit. 

“Good morning. I’m Dean Henry Fogg. You will have an hour for this exam. Once you are finished bring the tests up front and we will tell you what is next.”

I looked around and tried to figure out just how all this happened. 

“You may begin.” 

I opened the book and looked at the questions. They appeared to be in another language. I looked up and looked back down and the questions changed. I understood these ones and started writing my answers before it changed again. 

I finished and slowly stood up. There were others turning their tests in and a few still working. I walked slowly to the front of the room and handed the test to a red haired lady who put it in a box and handed me a card. 

“Down the hall on your left.” 

I slowly walked out of the room and to the room on the card. I was the only one there. I sat down in one of the chairs and waited. I heard the door open and the Dean walked in.

“I hear you’re very gifted.”

“I don’t know.”

“Well some would argue otherwise.” 

“Like who?”

“The Kinnear boy.”

I stopped in my tracks. How did he know about that? I looked down. 

“I’d like to see what else you can do.”

“I don’t know. Probably nothing.” I looked away trying everything to avoid eye contact. 

“No, there’s something there or you wouldn’t be here.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Just do it again.”

“What? Kill someone? No thanks.”

“No. Think something into happening.”

“I can’t.”

“Do it!”

“I fucking can’t ok!! I killed someone that last time I even tried, I had no idea what was going on and what even makes you think I’d want to do any of that again?!!”

“Just do some Goddamned magic!”

“I’m not fucking magic!” I screamed as I stood up and angrily glared at the Dean and watched him fly across the room.

“Shit! I’m sorry. I….” 

“Good.” He gasped as he slowly stood up. “Just as I thought. Physical. You’ll go far.”

“What?”

“This is a school for people like you. We help you learn how to control this and how to do other magic.”

“Like Houdini?”

“Better. Like no illusions. Actual magic.”

“What?”

“You can stay here and learn magic if you so wish. Your time gone will be accounted for and your family will be told you are in a prestigious college.”

“That doesn’t happen where I come from.”

“More believable than telekinesis, I’m sure.” 

“Fair.”

“Just sign here and it will all be taken care of.”

“So if I stay here, I don’t have to go home?”

“We do allow for vacations and holidays. Most students return home to see their families.”

“I don’t really have one of those.” I snapped and looked away.

“You may spend your vacation how you choose. But, just know, if you fail, you will be sent home.”

“I’ll do whatever I have to. I can’t go back there.” I felt tears welling up in my eyes and quickly blinked them away. 

I signed my name to the form.

“Eliot Waugh, welcome to Brakebills.” He shook my hand and for the first time in my life I felt special, like I accomplished something and like I wasn’t just a miserable failure. I felt like I belonged somewhere.

I felt worth something. I felt like now it was actually worth living.


End file.
